Table 1 Patient characteristics
From: Clinical patterns of primary stabbing headache: a single clinic-based prospective study
Age (y) | 54 (25 – 83) |
Female sex | 45 (69.2%) |
Disease duration prior to visit (d) | 40 (1 – 13,140) |
Follow-up (d) | 44 (3 – 325) |
Total disease duration (d) | 40 (1 – 13,170) |
Severity | 7 (2 – 10) |
Duration (s) | 1 (<1 – 60) |
Affected territory (not exclusive) | |
Occipital nerve | 55 (84.6%) |
Trigeminal nerve | 8 (12.3%) |
Multifocal | 16 (24.6%) |
Side | |
Side-locked | 45 (69.2%) |
Bilateral or alternating | 20 (30.8%) |
Migrating location | 15 (23.1%) |
Stab frequency per day | |
1 (sporadic stab) | 10 (15.4%) |
2 – 10 | 26 (40%) |
10 – 30 | 10 (15.4%) |
30 – 100 | 11 (16.9%) |
> 100 | 8 (12.3%) |
Pattern of occurrence | |
Daily | 47 (72.3%) |
Intermittent | |
A few per month | 9 (13.8%) |
A few per year | 9 (13.8%) |
Premorbid migraine | 27 (41.5%) |
Previous history of stabbing headaches | 14 (21.5%) |
Allodynia | 24 (36.9%) |
Jolt | 48 (73.8%) |
Bodily jab | 8 (12.3%) |
Prognosis | |
Remission | 28 (43.1%) |
Persistence | 37 (56.9%) |
Mode of complete remission | |
Spontaneous | 17 (45.9%) |
By treatment | 20 (54.1%) |
Treatment | |
Indomethacin | 8 (12.3%) |
Prednisolone | 11 (16.9%) |
Gabapentin | 13 (20.0%) |
Tricyclic antidepressants | 6 (9.2%) |